In this final WordPress news post of 2016, we’ve put up a list of the biggest news from the WordPress community from the last two weeks. In today’s list: WordPress 4.7 “Vaughan” is out, WordPress.com introduced VR and 360° content for all WordPress sites, BuddyPress is upgraded to patch a vulnerability and more.
#01 WordPress 4.7 “Vaughan”
WordPress 4.7, named after yet another famous jazz musician Sarah “Sassy” Vaughan, is ready to be downloaded or updated from your WordPress’ dashboard. This version of WordPress makes it easier than ever to set up your website the way you want it – users can choose from thousands of themes to fit their needs.
“Twenty Seventeen” will be the official default theme of 2017 and is included in the 4.7 update. While we don’t use the standard themes ourselves, many who start out making their first websites with WordPress go with the baseline option before getting comfortable. Hence, a good standard theme can help grow the fan base from the roots. “What’s good about the new one?” you may ask. The main strength promoted by WordPress.org themselves is that “Twenty Seventeen” is a theme that focuses more on being useful to businesses, large and small, by including more sections on the front page for widgets, navigation, social menus etc. Check out the video below to see more of the theme’s new features.
The now popular (already getting old?) video headers are easier than ever to include when using 4.7, as seen in the new default theme “Twenty Seventeen”. Not only can you add videos without coding skills, but you also don’t need fancy equipment or editing skills since it’s possible to add pretty much any video you want (even the ones you’ve filmed on your iPad).
See related post: WordPress News – 6th of December 2016
As another step with 4.7 to help WordPress beginners achieve better results from the get-go, the new update also includes some new features to the customizer. Individual themes can now suggest sample content that it shows in the live preview (e.g. a business information widget or social media buttons), and new pages can be created without leaving the customizer to give a smoother workflow for setting up the site.
#02 Introducing VR and 360° Content for All WordPress.com Sites
Have you ever wished to space out and teleport from your office to some lovely forest scenery far-far away to meditate for a minute or two? Guess what — such an opportunity is now available thanks to Virtual Reality content that can be uploaded to any WordPress.com site. 360° photos, panoramas, and 360° videos (note – still in beta version) – all these types of content you can now publish and view on your WordPress sites.
#03 BuddyPress 2.7.4 – Security Release
BuddyPress 2.7.4 is a security release that the BuddyPress development team recommends for all BuddyPress installations:
“This version patches a vulnerability to the BuddyPress core attachments API that could allow arbitrary file deletion on certain installation configurations.” – John James Jacoby, lead developer of BuddyPress
#04 WordPress.org Launches Homepage Redesign
If you’ve visited WordPress.org recently, you might have found yourself face-to-face with an unfamiliar look. The first iteration of the new design of their site went live before Christmas, and WordPress.org say that they plan to continue to launch improvements to it – both design and performance wise – in order to create something truly outstanding.
But visitors will also find familiar features on the site, as for instance the header and the footer have been kept from the previous design. Click here if you want to read more about the redesign.
Worth Reading:
- WooCommerce Powers 42% of All Online Stores
- Interview with Matt Mullenweg on the New WordPress Release Cycle and More
- The Risks and Rewards of Supporting the WordPress Community
Upcoming WordPress Events:
January 15th – WordCamp Pune
January 28th – WordCamp Udaipur
